Hear the stories behind the campaign

The stories behind the campaign: Happy

After a complicated birth and five months in hospital, Happy was back home alone with her very poorly baby, Ocean. It felt impossible to find the strength and courage to walk out of her front door. She’d try to get her coat on but couldn’t take that step outside. The anxiety Happy felt about leaving the house was paralysing so she became very isolated.

"I felt like a ghost. No one was coming to look for us and we weren’t going out to look for nobody."

Happy was referred to Home-Start Horizons. Knowing Happy struggled to leave the house, Helen, the family coordinator from Home-Start Horizons, would come to her house and helped her to attend the weekly family group. There Happy found confidence and community.

Happy wanted to pay back the support she received from Home-Start so she's now supporting another family as a Home-Start volunteer.

The stories behind the campaign: Fahima

Finding herself pregnant and homeless in lockdown became the catalyst for Fahima’s struggle with mental health. As tensions grew at home with her family, Fahima was placed in a hostel with her four-year-old.

By the time Fahima gave birth, she was in a very bad place, struggling to even perform basic tasks like showering or holding her baby.

Her Perinatal service referred Fahima to Home-Start and that's when things began to change. After volunteer home visits and support from the scheme manager, Nikki, Fahima gained the confidence and tools to manage her life.

"Reflecting on my journey, I realise how critical this support was. Without Home-Start, I believe I would have had a severe breakdown."

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